I'm basking a little bit today. It's 72 sweet degrees. All my windows are open. It is Sunday and I don't have to teach tomorrow. The chores are done and I'm going over to some friends' house for dinner. The kitties are happy.
I've just been listening to my friend Elizabeth's sermon podcast from a couple weeks ago. She's like, amazing. She spoke about hope, shoes, and moving forward. It seems to me that's exactly what hope is, moving forward when it seems easy, or difficult, or smooth, or challenging. We are in perpetual motion in a forward direction. Life doesn't stop when we need a break from it all. That means that we can't dwell too long on the past. We've been there and done that. Our memories and stories are precious, but they can also trap us in a strange cycle of doubt and hesitancy. Shoulda, coulda, woulda are not good roommates; they leave shit everywhere and nag you about that thank you card you never wrote to your great-aunt 15 years ago. Past-dwelling can also be a good way to self-medicate. Why think about today when you can be back in the time when things were good? That sure feels good until you realize it's 2011. Then you have guilt and regret that you've wasted time thinking about something you can never get back.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." --Oscar Wilde
But I've been thinking about this perpetual motion forward and my investment in the forward motion. Today is one of those days when I feel really stinkin good. It has a little to do with the weather, and maybe a little more to do with how full and good my life is right now. I have amazing friends and wonderful family. I have belly-laughed a lot in the last couple weeks. I have food and shelter and two reasonably well-behaved kitties. There is hope in the good days, that they will be our fuel when the days seem difficult. I think hope can be the thing with feathers that perches in our souls and could fly away at any moment (see Emily Dickinson), but mostly I think hope is like the good friend who reminds you that this one wild and precious life is all you get (see Mary Oliver). Hope means looking forward and believing that the next moment will surpass our greatest expectations. I HOPE your expectations are being surpassed right now.
photo courtesy of my friend Jenn who took it at my favorite place, Nye Beach
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